Stay Where I Can See You!

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ummer was always a wonderful time for me as a kid.  There was no school, I could go barefoot all day, I didn’t have to worry about doing homework, and I could see my friends anytime I wished.  In addition, summer was a time for vacations and that sometimes meant a trip to the beach! 

North Carolina has some of the most beautiful and tranquil beaches I’ve ever visited.  The sand is white, there is plenty of room to stretch out, and the beach goes on and on forever.  When I visit the beach now, I love to sit and watch the waves and listen to them thunder as the crash onto the shore.  I find this to be so relaxing and all the cares of this life just melt away and time stands still.

But as a little boy, the last thing I wanted to do was to sit on the beach.  I wanted to get into the water and play. My brother and I would play in the sand, dig holes, make tunnels, build castles, and fill our pails with seashells.  When we asked permission to take our rafts into the surf, my mom would give us permission, followed by a stern command, “Stay where I can see you!”

We would take our rafts into the surf and ride waves up on the shore.  Each time I landed on the sand, I would look up to make sure mom could see me and that I could see her.  The current would carry us down the beach so every once in a while we would look up, find mom and dad, walk back up the beach, and continue riding waves.  But we always stayed where mom could see us and where we could see her.  Losing sight of her meant we would be lost and then anything could happen.

There is a similar story in the book of Exodus.  The children of Israel were also surrounded by sand.  However, this was the sand of the desert with no water and no ocean in sight.  They weren’t building sandcastles either!  Instead, they were following God as he led them toward the Promised Land.  They carried with them the tabernacle, a portable temple used to worship God.  When they stopped to rest, they would set up the tabernacle and the pillar of cloud stationed itself over the tent.  God’s glory filled the tabernacle and as long as the cloud remained there, the people rested.

Moses records this for us in the very last verses of Exodus. There is a wonderful lesson of hope and encouragement neatly nestled in this passage of scripture. “So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels” (Exodus 40:38). Two great truths jump out at us from this one small verse.  First, the cloud of the Lord remained over the tabernacle by day and there was fire in the cloud at night.  God’s presence was always visible and it never left the people. God meant for his people to know that he was with them, day and night, constantly leading, guiding, and watching over them. 

Second, God’s presence remained in sight during all their travels.  God did not appear every other day and twice on Sunday.  He didn’t pop in for a visit every once in a while.  No!  God went everywhere his people went and he remained in full view of them all.  The people never wondered where God was or if he had forgotten them or abandoned them.  All they had to do was lift their eyes toward the tabernacle and see his presence.  He wanted to dwell with his people, to commune with them, to lead, to guide, and to protect them.

This is also true today.  True, God no longer appears in a pillar of cloud by day or a pillar of fire by night but his presence is always with us.  No matter where we go, no matter what we do, no matter how desperate or foreboding our situation may be, God is there.  His presence speaks to our hearts, we see him working in our lives, and we know that he still leads us just as he led Moses and the people all those years ago. 

If you are going through a lonely place, if you feel that you have been deserted, if your life feels more like a desert than a beach, take courage!  God led his people in the desert and when they set up a place of worship, his glory filled it and his presence was there, all the time and in full view.  The same is true today.  No matter our circumstances we must follow my mom’s advice.  We must hear God say to us from the desert floor of life, “Stay where I can see you!”   Can you see God today? 

Stocking The Pantry

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he sound of the doorbell let me know mom was back.  She had been gone for a little over an hour and now she needed our help.  The routine was always the same whenever she returned from the grocery store.  She would haul the bags to the porch and we would carry them into the kitchen or set them in front of the pantry door.  When all the bags were in the house, we put the groceries away, emptying the bags and filling the pantry.

This activity hasn’t stopped.  On Saturday mornings I make my weekly pilgrimage to the grocery store, buy my groceries, put them in the car, carry them in the house, and put them away.  Every week, my pantry gets restocked with vegetables, bread, cereal, rice, sugar etc.  Although I don’t really enjoy the hour I spend in the grocery store every week, I am glad I have a place to store my provisions. When the need strikes, I can simply grab something from the pantry and fix myself something to eat.  The lesson my mom taught me several years ago still rings true today.  If you take the time to stock the pantry, you will always have something to eat.

This lesson, however, did not originate with my mother.  For years, people have lived by this rule. Did you know we can go all the way back to Old Testament times to see this idea in action?  The story is a familiar one but the truth it contains has several applications to our lives today.

Hard times were coming to the land of Egypt.  Pharaoh’s dreams warned of an unprecedented famine in Egypt and the surrounding countries that would take place seven years in the future.  God revealed the meaning of the dreams to Joseph and he gave Pharaoh the interpretation. Joseph also provided a solution to the problem and Pharaoh set him in charge of the land of Egypt.

Joseph’s solution was simple: Stock the pantry!  Joseph’s plan was to put 20% of Egypt’s crops into storage for seven years so that they would have plenty in the years of famine. In Genesis 41:36 Joseph explains his plan “This food should be held in reserve for the country to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

Joseph knew there were hard times ahead and he knew that if Egypt stored her grain, there would be food in times of trouble.  This principle is the same for us in our daily walk with God.  His word is full of promises and blessings that we experience each and every day if we spend time with him.  Spending time in God’s word is the same as stocking our spiritual pantries.  We take from his abundance and keep it in our spiritual storehouses.  In times of great difficulty or trial, we can then go to the pantry and feed on the truths we have stored there.  But if we fail to store his word, if we fail to spend time with him on a regular basis, we will have nothing from which to draw in times of hardship and spiritual famine.

The lesson of the pantry is a good one.  Sometime today, you will venture into your pantry or cabinets for something to eat or drink.  When you open that door, stop for a minute and ask yourself these questions, “How well have I stocked my spiritual pantry?  Is there food enough for the lean times ahead?”  

Something Is Missing

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ave you ever felt that something was missing from your life?  I mean, you have all the pieces, or so you think, but they just don't all seem to fit together; something is missing.  When I was younger, my brother and I began collecting jigsaw puzzles.  Every week we would get our allowance and we would go to the local variety store and purchase puzzles.  Although there were several varieties and difficulty levels from which to choose, we decided to collect puzzles with only 100 pieces.  We would buy the puzzles, get on our bikes, dash home, and immediately begin putting them together.  Our mom, who loves puzzles, would sometimes help us, especially when we got into a confusing area of a puzzle.  She taught us to separate the border pieces and to assemble them first and from there, to construct the body of the puzzle.

We had hours of fun and gained a real sense of accomplishment from working those pieces until a completed puzzle emerged.  Once completed, we would start working other puzzles from our collection.  I remember one day, I was assembling one of the puzzles when I noticed one piece was missing.  I looked under the table, around on the floor, and under the furniture.  Nowhere was that piece to be found.  I searched in the other puzzles as well with the same result, no missing piece to be found.  The puzzle was 99% complete, but that one space troubled me.  I wanted to finish it, to complete the puzzle, to make it what it was supposed to be.  Instead, all I could see was the space left by the missing piece.  The entire puzzle suffered because one piece was missing.  It was no use trying to pretend the puzzle was complete without it, the evidence of that one missing piece was blatantly obvious.

Jesus must have enjoyed puzzles because today's scripture lesson addresses the idea of the missing piece.  The story of the Rich Young Ruler provides a wonderful example of what God wants to do in each of our lives.  This young man had come to Jesus desiring to know what he had to do to have eternal life.  Jesus told him to keep the law and the young man stated he had kept it since his youth.  Jesus did not dispute his claim but answered him in the following manner.  In Mark 10:21 we find these words, "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

Jesus concentrated on that one missing piece in this young man's life.  He wasn't interested in the rest of the puzzle.  He didn't concentrate on what this young man owned or on his accomplishments.  He wasn't concerned with his knowledge, his status, or his ambitions.  The only thing Jesus focused on was the one area lacking in this man's life.  Jesus saw this young man from a different perspective.  He noticed the part of him that was missing; the part that kept him from being what he was meant to be.  In love, Jesus addressed the one thing that would satisfy this man's longing to be whole, complete, and satisfied.  Unfortunately, since he was very wealthy, this young man refused to follow Jesus' advice.

Today, Jesus still works like this!  He looks at your life and sees the one thing you lack.  Perhaps your faith is not what it should be.  Perhaps you are struggling with trusting God completely, or you might be wrestling with what the future holds for you.  All of these issues leave a void in your life, a missing piece.  You, like the Rich Young Ruler, search and search, but you can never find the piece that fits.  Then Jesus comes, looks at you in love, and says "One thing you lack!" The hard part is acknowledging he is right.  The exciting part is Jesus, he, and only he, knows how to fill that missing piece and make you complete.  So, what piece of the puzzle are you missing today?

Buried Treasure

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ne of my favorite books is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.  I have read the book several times and have often pretended I was on some deserted island in search of lost treasure.  What little boy, or big boy for that matter, hasn't imagined what it would be like to hunt for buried treasure?

I played out this scenario quite often, especially while looking for quarters to do laundry when I lived in the men’s dorm.  Finding the correct change involved rummaging through drawers, looking under the bed, and checking in pants’ pockets.  Unlike Treasure Island, though, there was no map and ‘X’ never marked the spot.

Laundry and money never seemed to be a problem when I was growing up.  My clothes magically appeared, washed, pressed, and folded.  Whenever I needed money, and it seems I needed it often, I would ask my mom to give me some.  Her response was always the same:“Bring me my pocketbook.”

I learned at a very early age that a woman’s pocketbook was a wonderful thing.  They have everything in there, from paper clips to super glue.  However, I also learned not to go poking around in them for the very simple reason that they are impossible to navigate.  More than once I have gotten lost in there.  My mom, however, always knew where everything was in her purse. How she knew, I never figured out, and, although I could never find her billfold, she always located it.

What, you may be wondering, does rummaging around in my mom’s purse have to do with today’s devotional?   How could there ever be a connection between Psalm 119 and my mother’s pocketbook?  Well, actually the two have quite a bit in common.  Psalm 119:11 reads,“I have hidden your word in my heart. that I might not sin against you.”  David’s message is very clear in this passage from his longest psalm.    We must hide God’s word in our hearts and make it a part of our daily lives.  We must be able to retrieve it at a moment’s notice, to be able to find the hidden treasures and the wonderful promises God has made to us all.

When God’s word is securely hidden in our hearts, when it becomes a part of who we are, when it penetrates to the deepest levels of our being, then we will indeed have buried treasure.  We can tap this resource at any time, in any situation, and draw upon it for strength, comfort, assurance, and help.  We hide God’s word because it is precious and of infinite worth.  Just as we base our physical lives upon the treasures hidden in our bank accounts, so must we base our spiritual lives upon the treasures God’s word hidden in our hearts.

At any given moment, most people can tell you how much money they have in the bank or in a stock portfolio.  However, most of us would be hard-pressed to give an accurate balance of our knowledge of God’s word.  In fact, most of us are severely lacking in this area. 

If we believe God’s word is our source of strength, knowledge, and the basis upon which we build our relationship with him, doesn’t it make sense to hoard as much of it as possible?  Doesn't it make sense to hide this treasure, to bury it deep in our hearts and guard it with all diligence?  Remember, Jesus himself said, “For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21).

Yes, when I needed some money, a Band-Aid, or a cough drop, I always asked my mom for help.  She always asked for her purse because whatever I needed at the time was in there.  God’s word is the same.  Everything we need is contained inside.  However, if we never read it, it we never store it, if we never hide it deep inside, we won’t have enough of it or of him to sustain us in our time of need.  So, how much hidden treasure is there in your life?  If its secret hiding place were discovered, would you be rich or poor?

Heather's Lessons

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he ideas for these devotionals reflect different aspects and lessons I have learned in life.  Some of these lessons have been easy to learn and others I have learned only through difficult circumstances.  Various people have played such an important part in my life and some of them have been addressed either directly or indirectly in one or more of my writings.  I have often spoken of my parents or my brother, but rarely have I mentioned my sister, Heather.  This devotional is dedicated to her.

August 6, 1971 is one of the most important dates for our family.  On that day, my little sister, Heather graced our family with her arrival.  For nine long months I had waited, wondering what the baby would be.  So, one day before my eighth birthday, my patience was finally rewarded.  I had a little sister, and I thought it was very polite of her to wait until my birthday to make her grand entrance.  I mean, it's not every day that a guy can say he got a real live baby sister for his birthday.  It was big stuff!

Not long after Heather's birth, my parents told me that she was born with Down's Syndrome, a congenital condition causing mild, moderate, and sometimes severe mental retardation.  I understood what that meant, but to me, Heather was the most beautiful child I had ever seen and she still is!  Heather and I grew very close.  We played together, went for walks together, sang together, wrestled together, watched movies together, and laughed together.  When mom and dad went out, I looked after Heather and I became very protective of her.  I still am!!!!

As she grew older and developed, Heather constantly taught me great and valuable lessons that only now I am beginning to understand and appreciate.  The more I reflect on her life, the more I can see how Heather teaches my family so many lessons about God and His mercy and grace.

Whenever I am home, Heather and I spend a lot of time together.  She is always happy to see me.  She always hugs me and tells me she loves me. 

She sits on the couch and talks with me, or holds my hand, or watches movies with me.  Sometimes we take a ride in the car, and sometimes we just sit with each other, not talking, but just enjoying each other's company.

Each night before she goes to sleep, I ask her if I can say prayers with her.   She has one answer to this request, “Sure!”  What a privilege it is for me to pray with her and to have her in my life.   It is a wonderful blessing, far more than I could ever explain or express in words.

In so many ways, I believe Heather's life teaches me about my Heavenly Father.  He is always glad to see me.  he always opens his arms to welcome me or to give me a hug when I need it.  God always tells me and shows me he loves me.  He is always working in my life in ways that demonstrate his eternal love for me.  Whenever I want to sit and talk, he listens.  Whenever I need someone to take me by the hand, he does; and if I just want to sit and watch the sunset, he is always beside me.  His patience with me is endless and his care for me is boundless.  Whenever I need to talk to him, he always has time to listen; and to every request for some individual time he answers, "Sure!"

God looks forward to spending time and sharing himself with us.  It thrills his heart for us to just pull up a chair and spend time with Him. But I believe He has also made it possible for those around us to demonstrate His love in a very unique and tangible way.  For me, this is what Heather does every day; not because of what she can do but because of who she is.

The scriptures say in Hebrews 13:2, "Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" Our family has been blessed to experience this scripture first-hand.  I trust you will have a similar occasion today!

Your Call Is Important To Us

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ou know how it goes.  You need some information so you spend several minutes trying to find the correct number in the phone book.  Of course, the number you're looking for is always listed in the most illogical way and when you do find it, there are several numbers from which to choose.  You always select the wrong one and then begin eliminating numbers until you find the one you're looking for.   On a scale from 1 to 10, your frustration level is a 5. You take a deep breath, dial the number, and wait.  As luck would have it, the line is busy, so you hit the redial button, not once, but several times.  Finally, the line is clear and it begins to ring and your frustration eases off to level 2.

That's when it happens.  The phone on the other stops ringing and you hear the all-too-familiar recording telling you how glad they are you called.  The message goes something like this:  "All lines are busy.  You're call is important to us.  Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order in which it was received." 

You roll your eyes, take a deep breath, check your pulse, and bite your lip.  The frustration monitor is now at 8.  You begin questioning the sincerity of the recorded message that is now playing for the fifth time.  If your call were really that important, someone would be on the phone speaking with you, assisting you, and listening to you.

Several times a day, we find ourselves spending more time in conversation with a machine than we do with those closest to us.  What is amazing is that we actually spend time listening to and believing the machine

However, it is not the machine's message that upsets us as much as it is the fact that we feel unimportant.  Instead of receiving priority treatment, we are assigned a number, placed in long line, and our call is addressed by someone we don't know, in a place we've never heard of, asking questions we can't answer, helping us with a problem we didn't call to report.  No wonder we get frustrated!!

Isn't it wonderful to know that God does not work like this?  In the book of Psalms, David gives us example after example of God's interest and care for his children.  He refers to us as sheep receiving constant care from our great shepherd.  In the Psalms, we come to know God as our defender and protector, one who knows us intimately and who knew us before we were even formed.  Here, we understand that God planned all our days and that he seeks a deep and meaningful relationship with us.  In the Psalms we find strength, courage, reassurance, peace, comfort, and grace.

In Psalm 34:15, David writes, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry."  What a wonderful promise this is, especially when placed against the background of our world today.  God is never too busy to listen to us or to understand our situations. 

The first part of this verse speaks to God's awareness of his children.  His eyes are on us, no matter where we are, no matter what we are facing, no matter how difficult the trial.   We are precious to him and considered righteous, not because of what we've done on our own, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us and because of who we are in him.

The second portion speaks to God's availability.  He is always aware of our needs and listens when we pray to him.  He gives us his undivided attention and is always open to our requests.  We have direct access to his throne, and can reach him at anytime, from any place, concerning anything, speaking any language, even the language of tears and silence.  His ears always hear us because God listens to our hearts.  No request is too large, no prayer is too small, no cry is too soft, and no praise is too loud.  Our God hears us, no matter what.

God does not own an answering machine!  You will never receive a message requesting you wait.  Instead, you will be speaking directly to God himself, not on the second, third, or fourth ring, but on the very first try!

Ripe For The Picking

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he other day some one asked me if I had a sweet tooth.  I didn’t even have to think about my answer.  “Let me put it this way,” I said. “Give me a five-pound bag of sugar and a spoon and I’m happy!”  I’m not exaggerating!  The guy who said, “Life’s short, eat dessert first” has my full support and admiration.  You’ve just got to respect someone who has his priorities in the correct order!  One of my life goals is to sashay into a restaurant and order a cheesecake and a fork. That’s right, not a slice of cheesecake but the whole thing!   I’m just waiting for the right occasion!

My favorite dessert, hands down, is banana pudding.  My mom will be happy to share that dirty little secret with you.  Whenever I’m home I bargain with her, telling her that I’ll buy the ingredients if she will make the banana pudding.  The result is always the same; she buys the ingredients and makes the pudding!  I just love this arrangement!

The ingredients for this delicacy are not difficult to find. However, in order to make a perfect banana pudding, the bananas have to be ripe.  As a small boy, I remember going to the grocery store with my mother.  She always looked for bananas that were almost black because they made the best desserts.  I couldn’t understand this.  Bananas were supposed to be yellow, not black!  All the books I’d ever read said so.  But black, or very dark, bananas were what she bought because they had the best flavor!  And since mom always made perfect banana puddings, I didn’t argue!

The Apostle Paul addresses this idea of ripeness or maturity in his letter to the Ephesians.  Paul knew that in order for God’s work to move forward with the best results, he needed and required spiritually mature workers. 

Ephesians 4:12-13 follows a list of the different duties God assigns to some of his children.  Although there are different jobs, there is only one goal and that goal is training the members of Christ’s body ending in spiritual maturity. In this passage Paul writes, “to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  The role of teachers, and pastors, prophets, apostles and evangelist is to prepare God’s people for works of service.  The result is that the body of Christ will be unified and mature.  We are to be of one mind and one spirit, understanding and doing the work of God in the world around us.

Notice Paul’s words in the last portion of this passage.  In order to experience the entire fullness of Jesus Christ we must be spiritually mature.  This means that our desires become God’s desires, that our ambitions take a back seat to his will, that we see everything coming from his hand, and that we wait with patience until he is ready to use us for his purposes. 

Remember, in order to make a good banana pudding, you’ve got to have ripe bananas.  Green bananas are too bitter, yellow bananas are better but still lack fullness of flavor, but black bananas, those that are completely mature, make a perfect pudding every time.  What is the condition of your soul today?  If God were making a banana pudding, would you be chosen to add flavor and body?  Have you weathered life’s storms and difficulties, bending your will and your life to his purpose?  Are you ripe for the picking?

Your Place Is Set

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hanksgiving morning, my telephone rang at 6:45 a.m. Now, I am a heavy sleeper so I wasn't sure if the phone was real or if I was having a dream. After a few more rings, however, I determined that the phone was indeed real and I needed to answer it. Slowly I ascended into consciousness, rolled over, picked up the phone, fumbled with the talk button, and said "Hello”. The voice on the other end of the line greeted me with a hearty "Happy Thanksgiving!" It was my dad. He called to wish me a very happy holiday.

My mom was in the kitchen making the final preparations for her Thanksgiving meal. Everyone in my immediate family was going to be there, except for me.  Dad informed me, however, that I had not been left out or forgotten. Earlier, mom had set the dining room table and she set a place for me. Although we are separated by over one thousand miles, to mom and dad I was present at today's meal. The place setting at my chair spoke to that fact.

After our brief talk, I hung up the phone and lay back on the bed. I replayed the conversation I had just had with my dad several times in my head. One image kept coming into view, that place setting at my chair.

My parents missed me; and they knew I wanted to be there. However, the distance between us didn't prevent them from setting a place for me. It didn't stop them from considering me to be present with them, it didn't lessen their love for me, and it didn't make me any less their son. In fact, by placing the silverware and the plate on the table, they demonstrated that my presence is always with them, no matter where I happen to be.

Paul underscores the idea that from God's perspective we are already in Heaven with him, now! Ephesians 2:4-6 states, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..."

There are three things we need to see in regards to this passage of Scripture. First, God loved us long before we came to love him. Before the foundation of the earth was laid, God made provision for mankind to be reunited with him. God's love spanned the great distance that separated us from him and he made a way for us to return home, to be with him eternally.

Second, we are dead in sin, separated from God. We cannot come into his presence, we cannot approach his throne, and we cannot have a relationship with him until we accept Jesus as our savior.  Just as God made Christ alive and raised him from the dead, so too are we alive because we have accepted Christ's death as the only means of salvation.

Third, we sit in heavenly places now. In essence, God has set a place for us at his table.  There is no distance too great, no obstacle too large, and no situation so dire that can keep us from being God's children. We are his, with the full right to eat at his table. His love is for us and his desire to be with us is so strong, that he sets a place for us at his table in advance of our arrival.  

My dad called that morning because he wanted me to know that he was thinking of me.   No matter where I am, nothing will ever be able to separate me from my mom, dad, brother, and sister. I was present at the holiday meal just as surely as if I had been there in person.

The spiritual application is just as real. Although we are not physically with God at this time, one day we will be.   He welcomes us into his presence, he showers us with his blessings, and he makes room for us at his table. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, this invitation to dine at God's table is open and available to you. I am so glad that my place is already set. How about you?  Is there a place reserved for you at God’s dinner table? 

Just Write A Check!

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ust write a check, daddy!”  As a child, this was my solution to any financial difficulty facing my family!  Now, you have to understand that my definition of a financial crisis varied greatly from my dad’s definition.  For me, a financial crisis arose whenever I wanted something and my dad told me I couldn’t have it because we didn’t’ have the money to spend every time I saw something I wanted. 

Now, for a six-year-old boy, this just simply didn’t compute.  I was very observant and I had noticed that every time my parents purchased something, they wrote a check for it. When we bought groceries, mom wrote a check.  When we bought clothes, she wrote a check.  When dad got the car repaired, he wrote a check.  Honestly, I can’t remember my parents making a purchase without writing a check.

So, I simply applied the same principle when I wanted something.  I figured as long as mom and dad had checks, there was money in the bank.  I mean, how hard could it be?  All you had to do was fill out the check, sign it, hand it to the cashier, and walk away with whatever you wanted.  It was a great system and one I learned easily.  Checks equaled money and as long as you had a check, you had an infinite supply of the green stuff to purchase whatever it was you wanted.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul addressed the truth that God has unlimited resources.  Philippians 4:19 reads, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” There are two distinct lessons we must learn from this brief passage of scripture.  First, Paul tells us that God will meet all our needs.  Please pay attention to that little word need.  So often as God’s children, we come to him with a list of wants and we present them as needs.  God knows the difference!!  His promise is to meet our needs, not our wants.  Like children in a toy store, we are convinced we need everything we see.  However, just like a loving parent, God never gives us everything we see, he only supplies what we need.

The second truth is that God’s supply of resources is infinite!  No matter how great our need is, no matter how impossible it looks, and no matter how overwhelming, God has the resources to cover it!  God’s resources are found in his son, Jesus Christ, and are backed in full by the blood he shed to save all of us from our sins.  I don’t know about you, but when I look at all the things I do on a daily basis that aren’t pleasing to God, I am amazed at the price He was willing to pay to claim me as His own.  Whenever I need something, God always provides it, perhaps not the way I imagined and perhaps not in the time frame I desired, but he always comes through, no matter what.

There is one last illustration I believe will be helpful for us today.  The times my dad told me no were always times when I let my wants get out of balance, confusing them with my needs.  If I needed something, I got it.  I never went hungry, I was never cold, I always had a bed to sleep in, and I always had clothes to wear!  Mom and dad always wrote a check for our needs and we were never in want. 

They also wrote checks for things I couldn’t see.  These checks took the forms of hugs, laughter, tears, conversations, walks, and time on the front porch!  These were all needs and the checks never stopped coming.  My parents’ supply of love and support was and is measureless.  How much more measureless is God’s supply in Christ Jesus!  His love will never run out, his concern for us will never diminish, and his ability to care for us will never be depleted. God writes checks for us all the time! Are we cashing them?   

When God Puts Us To Sleep

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n one of his poems, Edgar Allan Poe asks the following question:  “Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?”  I can think of no better description of waking after surgery than this.  The effects of anesthesia last a long time after the patient initially goes under.  Hours after the surgery is over, the body begins to wake up and what an interesting process that is.

I remember waking up after heart surgery.  I could hear voices that sounded muffled, as if someone were speaking through a pillow.  I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying and after a few moments of trying everything went black.  A few moments later (it was actually several hours later) I opened my eyes.  There were people in the room and everything was in a fog.  I remember seeing my mom and dad, the nurses, my pastor, and my doctor.  Then everything went black again.

Slowly, but surely, I began to wake up. My eyes stayed open longer, people began to talk more coherently, the fog lifted, and people’s movements came up to speed.  That’s when I began to notice the pain in my chest and I realized that something had really happened. I wasn’t the same person I had been just before the anesthesiologist worked his magic.  Whatever that stuff was, it was really good!

While I was asleep, a team of doctors opened my chest and repaired the hole that had caused my heart to work harder than necessary.  The surgery took several hours but they seemed like mere moments to me.  I remember being in the operating room getting ready for surgery and the next thing I knew, I was in Intensive Care unit, recovering.  I missed the whole thing!  But somehow, the pain in my chest reminded me I had been present all along.  I went to sleep one way; I woke up another.  The change had occurred during those few hours of forced sleep.

It shouldn’t surprise us to learn that God was the first anesthesiologist and the first surgeon.  The story of God’s creation of Eve from Adam’s rib has been told and retold from one generation to the next. Yet, if you stop and really think about that event, you will see that sometimes God causes us to sleep so he can work on the deepest areas of our lives.

Genesis 2:21-22 records the following, “So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” 

We need to take closer look at the opening line of this passage.  Notice that Adam didn’t go to sleep on his own.  The scripture clearly states that God caused Adam to fall into a “deep sleep”.  There are times in life when God causes a deep sleep, a silence, a hush to fall over us.  We are not sure where he is, we don’t know what he’s doing, and we have no awareness that anything is being done in our lives.  It’s as if we are asleep spiritually, waiting for God to wake us up, to bring something new into our lives.

This is exactly what happened to Adam.  God needed to do some deep work in Adam’s life and he didn’t need Adam thrashing around, fighting him every step of the way.  Sound familiar?  So, God knocked him out.  He opened the man’s chest, withdrew a rib, and made a woman.  God created for Adam what he could never have imagined.  While he slept, while he was unaware of any activity, while life seemingly had stopped, God was working.  He was working to provide Adam’s need, a need Adam wasn’t even aware he had!

What a beautiful picture this is of God’s care for his children.  He is always watching over us, always taking notice of the events and circumstances of our lives.  He knows us better than we know ourselves and he is constantly aware of our needs even when we are not.  Jesus, himself, reminds us of this fact in Matthew 6:25-34.

Today, you may feel that you are spiritually asleep. It seems it has been forever since God spoke to you or moved in your life.  You wonder if he knows about you and perhaps you feel as if God no longer cares.  We all feel this way in our walk with the Lord, but we know that nothing is farther from the truth.  We serve a God who loves us, who cares for us, and who provides for us.  God does his best work during our moments of sleep.  He is busy even now meeting needs and preparing you for events you know nothing about.  We are never the same after a sleep session with God.  Like the patient after surgery, we find ourselves changed when God puts us to sleep.  Won’t you let him operate in your life today?

Constantly On The Move

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very evening when the lights are out and all is quiet, I lie in my bed listening to the sound of the ticking clock that hangs on the wall in my living room.  All through the day and night, this vigilant sentinel keeps watch over my home, faithfully marking the passing hours.  While the pendulum swings back and forth, the hands move around the clock, marching through the hours with a determined and steady cadence.  This dance of time occurs whether I am present or not.  The clock continually fulfills its purpose, no matter what!

Clocks have always been a part of my life.  Our house was filled with them because my dad loved, and still loves, listening to a ticking clock.  What continues to amaze me is the precision with which these wonderful instruments work.  The most important part of the clock is the pendulum because without its faithful back and forth motion, the clock would not function.  As the pendulum swings through space, it causes the hands of the clock to move around the dial at a steady pace.  Each swing of the pendulum results in the forward motion of the hands as they mark the passing seconds, minutes, and hours.

The real secret of the clock lies in the fact that its parts are constantly on the move.  The visible motion of the hands and pendulum belie the intricate dance of the clock’s wheels, springs, and gears.  Yet the very fact that the hands move with such devotion indicates that the steadfast march of time moves forward from one passing moment to the next.

The Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles reveals the importance of being constantly on the move in God’s service.  2 Chronicles 27:6 is a brief passage about a man named Jotham, King of Judah, who walked in a manner pleasing to God.  “Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.”  But who was this Jotham and what do we know about him?

Jotham’s name appears 28 times in the Old Testament.  His father was King Uzziah who had leprosy.  Uzziah could not enter the Temple and he lived in a separate house, relieved of his responsibilities.  Jotham represented the people and ruled for his father.  When his father died, Jotham became King of Judah.  He rebuilt the Upper Gate of the Lord’s Temple.  He was 25 when he became king and he reigned for 16 years.  He conquered the Ammonites and they paid a tribute to him for 3 years.

But what we know historically about Jotham does not compare to our scripture passage today.  Notice that there is a direct correlation between Jotham’s power and his walk before God.  In the Old Testament, walking before the Lord meant to please him on a consistent basis.  Like a clock’s pendulum swinging back and forth, walking also requires constant movement, placing one foot in front of the other. The goal of walking is to move forward, to go from one place to another in a methodical and determined pattern.  Walking before God is a commentary on a person’s life and Jotham’s life was pleasing to God.  We know this because the Scriptures also say that Jotham increased in power and that his walk was steadfast.

This is always true of a man or woman today who walks with God.  The word steadfastly means determined, continually, and consistently.  God wants us to walk with him on a daily basis, always looking to him for all our needs, always communicating with him in every situation, and always walking forward with him as we mature in our faith.  When we walk with God in this fashion, we find that our spiritual lives become more powerful, that our relationship with God grows ever deeper, and that our faith and trust in him grow ever stronger.

What do the hands of your spiritual clock tell you about your walk with God today?  Is your pendulum swinging, marking out a constant rhythm, making the spiritual gears of your life turn?  Are the hands of your spiritual clock indicating that you are moving forward, growing and maturing in your walk with God?  Or do the pendulum and the hands show no movement, showing that your forward momentum and your walk with God have stopped?  If this is the case, don’t rest until you talk with God and have your clock rewound.  Remember, in order to please God, you must spend time with him.  Are you constantly on the move today?

Scarred For Life

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 hospital is no place to rest.  Nurses, doctors, orderlies, dieticians, lab workers, and a whole host of other employees always seem to be in your room asking questions, running tests, or taking you somewhere.  I distinctly remember being awakened at 2:00 in the morning to be weighed.  I wanted to tell the nurse I weighed the same thing I did at 6:00 in the evening but it wouldn’t have done any good.  The rules said I had to be weighed, they just never said at what time.

Earlier that same evening, I was preparing for bed.  The next day would bring about a great change in my life.  A surgeon would repair a hole between the upper chambers of my heart, correcting a condition I had had since birth.  I remember looking at my chest in the mirror, knowing that the next time I saw it, it would have a scar showing exactly where the surgeon had entered and worked his magic.

The surgery was successful and after a couple of days, I was able to move about, ever so slowly mind you, but I could walk down the hall and take a walk outside.  The nurses, the doctors, and everyone else still continued to come into my room but they didn’t stay long. They did their jobs quickly and they let me rest.  When I saw my chest for the first time, it was a little shocking!  The scar was longer than I had anticipated and there many more stitches than I originally thought.

As I looked at that scar, I realized I would carry its mark for the rest of my life.  It was the symbol that something had happened to change my heart, to make me better, and to give me a new and better lease on life.  It still reminds me of that fact every time I see my self in the mirror.  After 40 years it still reminds me of the great change that took place so long ago.

The Apostle Paul also understood what it meant to be scarred for life.  During his ministry, Paul was beaten several times and bore on his body the marks of those scourges.  What is interesting is that, before his conversion, Paul inflicted beatings and was instrumental in stoning Christians.  After his encounter with Jesus, however, everything changed. Now it was Paul’s turn to experience this for himself.  In his writings, Paul refers to the fact that his walk on the Christian road was not easy.

In Galatians 6:17, Paul writes, “Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” As he closes his letter to the Galatians, Paul wants his readers to understand that he knows the cost of following Jesus.  Paul was a marked man.  He was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, even when that gospel led to him being beaten and stoned.  

In the world today, there are people who are suffering in a physical sense for the cause of Christ. They are tortured, beaten, and killed, yet the cause of Christ moves forward.  Jesus promised us there would be persecution and that we would be hated because of him.  This is not a popular or a particularly happy point of view but it is an accurate one.

Not all of us will have to endure such trying hardships, but all of us will be scarred!  When Jesus comes into our lives, he makes a change, a visible one, in the way we live our lives.  This change, this way of life, should be evident like the scar from surgery.  Jesus has opened our hearts, corrected, and cured our sin problem.  We gain a new and a better lease on life and our duty now is to live in a manner that is consistent with the work Christ did for us. 

Do you bear in your body the mark of Christ? Is there evidence that you belong to him?  Do those around you see the Spirit of God living in you and working through you in everything you do?  Does your way of life signal a break with the world and an acceptance of God? Are you scarred for life?

That First Step Is A Doozy!

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here is an old Chinese proverb that reads, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  I have often repeated these words to myself and I have often written them on a blackboard for my students to consider.  It is amazing to watch as the reality of this small statement becomes evident, especially for high school or college seniors who are standing on the threshold of a new stage of life.

But college seniors and high school graduates are not the only ones who experience the truth of this statement.  All of us, at some point in our lives, will face the truth of this old proverb. Many of us have already experienced it at least once and many more have faced it several times.  It happens when we must make a career change, or when we have to move away from familiar surroundings and set down roots in a strange place. For others, the journey comes with the loss of a loved one and they must face the road ahead without the presence of their one-time companion.

Whatever the circumstances, one thing is sure, the journey, when taken as a whole, is overwhelming and that first step is always a doozy!  In fact, the whole secret to the journey is contained in that first step. If we can find the courage to put our foot forward for that first step, we find that the rest are easier.  It is the first step that is the most difficult and it is at the first step that the enemies of doubt, fear, insecurity, and mistrust attack us the most strongly and the most effectively. 

The Bible is filled with examples of men and women who walked with God and who took great journeys with him.  Who can forget Moses leading the people in the wilderness?  Who hasn’t read about Noah and the ark?  And the story of Paul’s missionary journeys fills the New Testament pages with the history of the spread of the Gospel.

But to get a feel for the importance of the first step, to really appreciate what it means to move forward into God’s hands, to actually experience walking with God when you don’t know where you are going, we need look no further than Chapter 12 of the book of Genesis. The first verse of this passage tells us all we need to know about a man called Abraham and the journey he took with God.  Genesis 12:1 reads, “The Lord had said to Abram “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”

Notice that God’s words contain a command, “leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land” and a promise, “I will show you.”  The command part had to be the most difficult for Abram.  He knew God had called him, and he knew God would show him where to go, but taking that first step would be a difficult and heart-wrenching decision.  Not only was Abram stepping out into the unknown; he was also stepping away from the known, leaving his home, his family, his friends, his life, and his security behind him.  That first step was indeed a doozy but Abram exercised his faith and took it.

There is a great lesson here which God has been teaching me in recent days.  The life of faith is always one away from the camp of security and comfort.  Abram’s faith in God was secure but the circumstances of his life were not.  He lived in a tent, not a permanent dwelling.  He lived in a land in which both he and his neighbors referred to him as an alien and a foreigner.  But Abram learned the only way to please God and to receive his best was to walk continually in faith.

Wherever you are in your walk with God today my friend, my prayer is that you will not shy away from taking that first step.  It is a doozy in more ways than one.  That first step will separate you from the world but it will also separate you unto God.  It may take you a thousand miles away from home, but it will never take you where God is not.  The journey may have uphill struggles, rocky mountain slopes, and deep valleys, but it will also provide you with views and joys you could never experience at home in base camp.  My prayer for you today is that you will pack your bags and determine in your heart to take that first step of faith with God.  It will be a doozy, I grant you that, but it will be one that will change your life forever.  Are you ready to take that first step today?

Just Below The Surface

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y first “real job” was as an attendant in one of our local hospitals.  I was assigned to the department of radiology where I learned not only how to wait on patients but also quite a bit about the inner workings of the human body.  Making an x-ray was an interesting process, one that was much more involved and much more revealing than I had previously thought.

Although I had had my share of x-rays, I had never seen the “other side” of the process.  Patients would come into our department from different floors of the hospital or from the emergency room.  Before their arrival, our computers had alerted us to the type of x-ray ordered by their physicians.  After receiving the order, one of our technicians would perform the test.  The patient was escorted into the room, placed on a table, given a set of instructions, and the x-ray was taken.  In a few minutes, the film was developed and the patient was dismissed.  This is where the process became very interesting.

Once the film was developed, the x-ray was taken to one of the radiologists.  It was his job to determine anything abnormal about the x-ray.  I have been in the office several times as films were being read and I never ceased to be amazed at how quickly and how accurately the trained eye could focus in on a particular area, find the problem, and suggest a solution.  To me, all the films looked the same.  They all had black backgrounds with white bones and gray organs on them.  But to the radiologist, they were a road map to any potential problems facing the patient in question.

What the radiologist is to the x-ray, God is to the human heart.  His eyes see everything within us and he knows just where our problems lie.  To the world outside, everything may seem fine.  We look good, we sound good, and there is no indication that anything is wrong.  But when we submit ourselves to God’s x-ray table, when we allow him to examine our inmost parts, when we ask him to examine us to see the area of difficulty in our lives, then we give him full access to who and what we really are. 

The eyes of God are more accurate and more probing than the eyes of any radiologist or x-ray machine.  Jeremiah 17:10 reminds us of this fact, “I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." At fist glance, we want to shrink away from this sobering passage of scripture. Our first reaction is to run because we don’t want God to know what is in our hearts or in our minds.  But he does know.  God’s knowledge of mankind is not dependent upon our willingness or unwillingness to open our hearts to him.  He made us and therefore knows us better than we know ourselves.  But I believe there is great comfort in this scripture as well.

The job of the radiologist is to locate any abnormalities or life-threatening diseases so the patient can be cured.  Without the intervention of the physician, the patient will never get well.  The x-ray is necessary because the problem is on the inside, hidden from sight.  The x-ray provides a deep and exhaustive look so that the problem area can no longer remain hidden.  Now apply this to the human heart.  God is far more interested in us than a radiologist is in a patient’s x-ray.  Unlike the radiologist, who does not know the patient, God knows all about us and loves us.  He sees the sin in our hearts and the influence it has on our minds.  He knows where to look, he knows how to find the problem, and he knows how to fix it. 

The radiologist can only “suggest” a course of treatment for the patient.  God doesn’t “suggest” a course of treatment, he has the cure.  The coming of Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death is the cure for our sin.  We can be cured from this terrible condition but we must ask Jesus to come into our hearts and remove the sin that is there.  Unless a patient comes to the hospital, there can be no examination and no method of treatment.  Unless we come to God and ask him to examine us we can never be cured and cleansed from our sins.  How long has it been since you visited God’s department of radiology?  Don’t you think it’s time you made an appointment?